Aspirin And Muscle Repair?

[harnessedinslums]

Hello, sorry if this was already answered; I can't find much info on this:

I'm trying to bulk up a bit and I'd like to take aspirin to inhibit aromatase but weight lifters advise against drugs that inhibit protein synthesis/the inflammatory responses necessary for muscle growth. I've read that you can cause serious damage to your muscles and connective tissue by lifting and taking aspirin. I am no big city scientist so any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Vinero]

Yeah I read that too a while ago but it didn't scare me, because I don't lift weights to bulk up just to stay fit. So I took aspirin everyday anyway. I didn't care if it made me gain less muscle. But still, I got bigger and stronger muscles. Who knows if I could have even gotten bigger and stronger if I didn't take aspirin everyday? Guess we will never know.
If I remember correctly aspirin wasn't recommended because it inhibited some "important" prostaglandin that is necessary for the inflammation to occur that results in growth.
But, all the other effects aspirin has like pro-thyroid, anti-estrogen, anti-serotonin etc. will most likely push things in the right direction (anabolic).

So maybe there is a trade-off here. But my experience with aspirin and weight lifting has been positive.

 

[Curt :-)]

I haven't heard about aspirin putting a damper on anabolism, but I think most things that are good for you are anabolic, and the reverse is true.
It might oppose anabolism because of the prostaglandin link you mentioned, but it balances the hormones, which is anabolic of course. It also reduces muscle soreness which allows for more frequent training sessions.

 

[Suikerbuik]

I think it may alter muscle growth. Nor I agree with the frequent training sessions. More is not better and these could also give you more stress.

 

[harnessedinslums]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I only exercise about three times a week, not very intensely, and I find that I have good recovery. Since I usually lift in the evening after work, would it make a difference if I took my aspirin in the morning?

 

[Daimyo]

It's one of geek things... Probably some pencilneck from bodybuilding.com forum read on pubmed about aspirin and wanted to show what sort of expert he is...

Aspirin is used very often in bodybuilding/weightlifting, usually as a part of ECA (Ephedrine, Coffein, Aspirin), stack you take during the cut. It's a strong termogenics and stimulant. The stack makes you function almost normal during severe calorie restriction. I remember when I was cutting it help a lot - I wasn't feeling like ***t. That was before my peating days, now I know that aspirin part is very helpful during calorie restriction diet, as your body is using up it's fat, so PUFAs damage will be reduced.

 

[Such_Saturation]

I'm quite sure aspirin was found to reduce soreness (I can't remember whether before or after). It also prevents beta oxidation so I'm not sure it's wise during fasting.

 

[TubZy]

I'm quite sure aspirin was found to reduce soreness (I can't remember whether before or after). It also prevents beta oxidation so I'm not sure it's wise during fasting.

Well the reduction of soreness is from blunting inflammation in the muscle. Inflammation = pain. You are tearing and damaging your muscle fibers during a workout so the reduction in soreness is coming from the reduction in inflammation which can be good or bad, but that is how your muscles repair as inflammation is naturally part of our bodily process. It's just too much/chronic of it is bad.

I believe PGE2 is the responsible prostaglandin that is for muscle repair and anabolic properties.

 

[Terma]

This thread is roughly equivalent to what I was just looking into (don't know if it was posted somewhere else): Effects of growth factors on aspirin-induced inhibition of wound repair in a rabbit gastric epithelial cell model - Yoshizawa - 2008 - Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics - Wiley Online Library

Effects of growth factors on aspirin-induced inhibition of wound
repair in a rabbit gastric epithelial cell model

Background:
Aspirin is known to cause adverse effects,
including gastric mucosal injury, and to retard gastric
wound healing. Growth factors including hepatocyte
growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and
insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) have been shown to
play an important role in the repair of gastric mucosal
injury.

Aim:
To employ the cultured gastric epithelial cell model
t oelucidate the effects of aspirin, as well as several
growth factors (HGF, EGF and IGF-I), on gastric wound
repair.

Methods:
Isolated rabbit gastric epithelial cells (92%
mucous cells) were cultured in F-12 medium and
formed a complete monolayer cell sheet in 48 h. A
wound with a cell-free area of constant size (2 mm 2)
was then created and the wound repair process was
monitored by measuring wound size every 12 h.
Proliferating cells were detected by BrdU staining.
Effects of aspirin (8 m
M
), HGF (10 ng/mL), EGF (10 ng/
mL) and IGF-I (30 ng/mL) were assessed.

Results: Aspirin signi®cantly retarded wound healing,
but simultaneous addition of growth factors
signi®cantly accelerated wound repair compared with
aspirin alone. Growth factors reversed the aspirin-
induced inhibition of cell proliferation.

Conclusion:
Growth factors, including HGF, EGF and
IGF-I, reversed the aspirin-induced inhibition of wound
repair through their cytoprotective effects on gastric
epithelial cells.

So this takes place in stomach cells, but it's the same message: aspirin halts the normal prostaglandin response and it would prevent healing, but IGF-1 and other growth factors make up for it if present (in these cells IGF-1 was the least effective, but I'd guess the reverse is true is other cell types).

In other words IGF-1 and friends can heal things just fine without the inflammation, they just have to be present and active at the right time and place. IGF-1 is ubiquitous. So for you just get a ton of casein around workouts I guess.

Seems to reflect what ray peat says just fine, and happens to be super important to me for all around body repair (not muscle building).

 

[DaveFoster]

Aspirin also drastically increases insulin sensitivity, along with its powerful inhibition of aromatase and suppression of cortisol.

A chapter of my book, Aspirin: More Than Just a Painkiller focuses on its ergogenic benefits.

Also @Koveras has addressed an important point of the gastric mucosal adaptation to aspirin, and I talk about it once again in my book.

Aspirin, Mucin-2, Nafld & Colitis

 

[ecstatichamster]

Niacinamide really helps stop stomach upset when I take aspirin

 

[Terma]

Aspirin also drastically increases insulin sensitivity

Yeah that is probably significant, true.

Guess I should clarify I don't have problems tolerating aspiring in stomach/GI or anything, this was just trying extrapolate to ways of triggering healing elsewhere without the inflammatory response.